Conventional electrical connectors provided with a fitting detecting member for detecting whether male and female connector housings are in a fitted state include the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,648. In this kind of connector, as shown in FIG. 20 of this specification, a see-saw like locking arm 2 provided on a female housing 1 inclines when a fitting operation of two housings 1 and 3 is performed. The locking arm 2 uses a support 2A as a pivot, an anterior end thereof moving upwards, and a posterior end thereof moving downwards. When the two housings 1 and 3 are correctly fitted together, this locking arm 2 returns to its original position and is latched by a locking member 3A of the male housing 3. A detecting member 4 is attached in a unified manner within the locking arm 2, this detecting member being capable of sliding in an anterior-posterior direction. When the two housings 1 and 3 are not yet fitted together, this detecting member 4 is located at the posterior of the support 2A. A regulating protrusion 4A protrudes from an upper face of the detecting member 4. The regulating protrusion 4A engages with a supporting member 1A of the female housing 1, this supporting member 1A surrounding the support 2A. As a result, movement of the detecting member 4 into a movement space 5 of the locking arm 2 to the anterior of the supporting member is prevented.
When the two housings 1 and 3 are being fitted together, the detecting member 4 inclines along with the locking arm 2, and the locking arm 2 is positioned in the movement space 5 in this inclined state. Consequently, movement of the detecting member 4 in an anterior direction is prevented. When the two housings 1 and 3 are correctly fitted together, the locking arm 2 returns to its original position and leaves the movement space 5, the detecting member 4 can now be pushed in. As a result, the engagement of the regulating protrusion 4A with the supporting member 1A is released and the detecting member 4 can be moved into the movement space 5, thereby allowing one to detect that the two housings 1 and 3 are correctly fitted together.
When the detecting member 4 is pushed in, an anterior end face of the regulating protrusion 4A pushed against an upper wall portion 1B of the supporting member 1A, the regulating protrusion 4A enters under the upper wall portion 1B and this upper wall portion 1B is simultaneously bent forcefully upwards. In this manner, a pushing force which is large enough to forcefully bend the upper wall portion 1B upwards is required to move the detecting member 4. Consequently, the movement operability thereof is poor. The regulating protrusion 4A and the supporting member 1A are released by reverse movement.
The present invention has been developed in response to the circumstances described above, and aims to improve the movement operability of the detecting member when the two housings are correctly fitted together.